Forever Fields of Grass and Wastelands
by foxygirlchan
Summary: Because he hates all the things that pass by the train window, and he hates the mountains, snow, the wastelands and fields of grass, he hates them all. But most of all, he hates himself. But she was okay though. Sometimes.
1. Introduction

**I need to get the 100 challenge at least partly out of the way. So here's to Vincent and Yuffie, and anyone else involved. **

--

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Introduction**

**.**

First impressions were always important.

Well, at least to some people.

To Yuffie, it wasn't. She didn't particularly pay much attention to really figure out what you were like until she finished talking or rambling or whatever she was doing that was more interesting than you were.

Although, it was a bit hard to ignore first impressions when someone burst out of a coffin in a dingy basement, scaring the crap out of you and looking like a scary movie reject.

To Yuffie it was the scariest thing she had ever seen, even worse than the elemental blob monsters that were plaguing the caves where the shiniest materia was hidden.

To Vincent, it was the weirdest thing he had ever seen. His eyes had wandered over everyone in the group of people who disturbed his sleep, analyzing, lingering slightly longer on the youngest, who was staring at him intently.

Vincent thought _her shorts are going to fall._

Yuffie screamed "Oh my fucking god! Vampire!"


	2. Love

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Love**

**.**

_Snore. Snoreeee…_

Vincent didn't like sleeping. He hated it, to be honest. He had been sleeping for far too long to enjoy it anymore. Locked away, all he could do was sleep and think.

He hated both, but did them anyway.

But he didn't mind watching others sleep, although he did dislike it when they drooled all over his pants.

-

Trains were the best way to get around after Vincent had woken up from his sleep, but he didn't particularly enjoy them either. They had way too many people. People who _stared._

He didn't like the ones with compartments either, because then it felt like he was locked up again. Except this time there was a window he could see out of. Although there wasn't much to see; it was either cities, buildings or forever fields of grass. That, or wastelands. He hated all of those too.

He hated how he always seemed to be stuck with the ninja girl too. Ever since he entered the group, it seemed the only person willing to even pair up with him was her. Everyone else seemed already accustomed to other groups, or weren't compatible with him (in a professional sense, of course).

Except her, because she was pretty new to the group herself.

She had motion sickness, so the only way to not make her barf all over his pants was to give her a tranquilizer and make her fall asleep so she would drool on them instead.

He didn't believe she would like to take the tranquilizers willingly, so he snuck them into a cup of water she had drank.

And she was out like a light.

Vincent didn't really like much of anything.

But he did like one thing for sure.

That was when Yuffie was sleeping.


	3. Light

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Light**

**.**

"Y'know, you probably shouldn't be out in the light so long."

Vincent looked up from his book and stared at the ninja, who was lounging around on a couch.

The others had gone off to do other things, leaving the ninja and him to their own devices.

He had decided to read a book.

She had decided to bother the hell out of him.

Vincent stared at her, and went back to his book. The question did not make much sense to him, and he was not particularly interested in the answer, so he ignored it.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

He glanced back up, amused at the annoyance that was on the girl's face. He raised his eyebrows, as if questioning her or urging her to go on.

She got the hint pretty quickly and huffed as she sat up straight again.

"I mean, you came out of a coffin, right?"

Vincent nodded his head, a flash of annoyance embodied by his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"So, naturally, you'd be a vampire!"

Vincent closed his book loudly, standing up from his position and making his way away from the lounge area, and the ninja girl in the process.

"H-Hey!" She stumbled over the couch, almost falling off of it, but steadying herself in a standing position, "Where you going?! I wasn't being serious y'know!" she cried as she followed him.

"I didn't mean to offend you, hey! I don't like vampires very much either, I mean…!" She shook her head, as he turned towards her, eyebrows furrowed slightly again. "I mean, not if you were a vampire! I like you! Er, I mean…"

The ninja stopped trying to keep up with Vincent as he kept walking, taking a moment to realize she had stopped.

He turned around, but the only evidence she had even been there was the squeaking of her sneakers against the wooden floor as she dashed away.


	4. Dark

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Dark**

**.**

Yuffie was sitting in the dark, examining the materia in her hands.

It glowed. A pretty red color too. She loved the red ones. Green was always first however, followed closely by blue.

Suddenly, she heard a click of the door, and she turned towards the sound, instinctively reaching into her pouch for a knife. _Intruder._

A hand shot out of the figure, reaching for something on the wall. The materia glowed far enough to reflect on the metal on the arm.

Yuffie took the knife out of the pouch quickly, aiming it towards the shadow. _Danger._

Suddenly, the light turned on, but Yuffie's eyes had been in the dark far too long to adjust quickly enough. She closed her eyes in pain, throwing the knife towards the intruder. _Attack._

She forced her eyes open; this time they adjusted much easier.

She was surprised to see that Vincent was the one standing at the doorway.

Unfortunately, her knife was impaled in his arm.

_Mistake!_

"Oh shit! I'm soooo sorry about that Vince! I thought you were some rapist, or something!" Yuffie cried, standing up straight from her crouched position that she had taken after the light had been turned on. She ran towards him, jumping around in a panic-stricken frenzy.

"Dude, I'm suuuper sorry about this! Oh my god, we should take that out! Isn't it painful?!" Yuffie was going ballistic, but Vincent just turned his arm around, examining the injury.

"That shot was directed at my neck," Vincent whispered out, Yuffie felt a cold sweep down her back, the hair on her neck standing up.

"I'm so sorry," Yuffie whispered, searching her pockets for something as she looked anywhere but at the gunman.

"It was a good shot," he stated, causing Yuffie to look up and stare at him in surprised confusion.

"Yeah, I AM a ninja, y'know," Yuffie replied slowly. She began to search through her pockets again after a moment, finding what she was looking for.

"Here!" Yuffie took out a handkerchief, looking at it in triumph. She earned a questioning stare from her companion, but she ignored him as she grabbed his wrist and started to wipe the blood off the leather.

"Come over here will you?" Yuffie ordered once she finished, walking over towards the couch, sitting down. She looked up at the gunman, who seemed to not have heard her.

"C'mon! I'll take the knife out of you."

For a while there was silence as Yuffie worked on keeping the blood from dripping all over the place, and taking the metal out of Vincent's un-gauntleted arm.

-

"Why where you in the dark?"

Yuffie looked up from working on his arm with a medical kit she had found in the bathroom, a questioning look crossing her features.

"Huh? Why would you want to know that?" Yuffie asked, looking back down and working on patching up the wound. The knife was easy to take out even though it had buried about an inch into the skin. She was surprised at how deep the knife had gone.

"Curious."

Yuffie glanced back up, but her eyes found the task at hand much more important than eye contact.

"I like the dark."

Vincent shifted in his seat, causing Yuffie to glance up again, puzzled.

"I don't."

Yuffie looked up quickly, surprised.

"What?! Really? I always thought you'd be the type to like that kind of stuff…" Yuffie was distracted for a moment, but Vincent made to move his arm, so she continued to apply alcohol to the cut.

"You start to hate the dark if it's all you've seen for 30 years in a coffin," Vincent replied, a tone of bitterness sneaking into his voice.

"Oh, I suppose." Yuffie finished dabbing his cut and grabbed some bandages, wrapping them around his arm.

"Why do you like the dark?"

Yuffie glanced up, a grin on her face. It made her feel special that the gunman was interested in her.

"I like the dark…" Yuffie stopped for a moment, wondering.

_Why?_

For a while she didn't really know. She had finished bandaging the cut before she replied once more.

"I guess you could say…" Vincent turned to her, eyes locking with hers as she had a thoughtful expression.

"Red glows much prettier in the dark," she replied, her thoughts wandering towards materia… red… She stared intently at Vincent for a moment, her sight finding its way to his red orbs...

_Pretty._

"I bet your eyes glow in the dark too."


	5. Seeking Solace

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Seeking Solace**

**.**

It was easy to find a quiet place to do whatever you wanted with AVALANCHE.

Most people would leave you well enough alone if you acted like you wanted peace and quiet.

Except Yuffie.

If you acted like you wanted peace and quiet around her, you'd find that you had stumbled onto quiet the opposite. She seemed to hate when others were far too silent for their own good. She would bother and annoy and prod and poke.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

Vincent had already tried to escape the wrath of Yuffie, but she seemed to always know where he was or where he went. He always forgot she was a ninja, but she would always remind him, especially at times like that.

"Hey, why do you want a quiet place, any who? Do you not like us or something?" Yuffie asked, arms crossed as she had found Vincent again, who had tried to hide up a tree, but was dismayed to find that Yuffie was on the tree right next to his.

"No. I just do not feel the need to be around all of you at the moment," he replied, a sigh escaping his lips before he spoke. Yuffie huffed, jumping towards a branch, catching it and swinging up to where he was.

"You mean we don't make you feel comfortable?" Yuffie asked, a worried expression laced with slight annoyance passing her features.

"No, I just don't want to be in there."

"Hm… Why?"

Yuffie sat with the branch in between her legs so that she could glare at Vincent much better. She inched closer to him so that she could try and pry the information out of him. Vincent's metal gauntlet twitched as she did so.

He was quiet for a moment, but Yuffie's intense staring got the better of him and he sighed once more.

"I don't like small spaces."

"It's not small in there."

"I apologize. Let me rephrase." Vincent put his feet on the branch below them, standing up and jumping down. Yuffie was surprised by the action, but her reflex was to follow so she did.

They both landed on the bottom of the tree, Yuffie in a crouched position that reminded Vincent once more that she was a ninja, and Vincent in a slouched position that seemed to hint that he was about to jump again.

Both stood up straight, however. Vincent began to make his way towards a different direction as he did so.

"Hey! Finish your sentence!" Yuffie cried out as she jogged to keep up with the long-legged gunman.

"I don't like being inside," Vincent finished, walking away from the inn they were staying in and going deeper into the forest.

Yuffie followed, a little uneasy.

"Oh, I see. I guess I wouldn't like being inside either if what happened to you happened to me," she replied, hopping alongside him as he failed to stop her from following him.

"Yuffie…"

"Sorry, was that insensitive?"

Yuffie looked up at the gunman nervously. She hadn't meant to sound rude, but the truth sometimes hurt.

He looked slightly offended, but his gaze was directed in front of him and not at her.

She looked away again, a wave of guilt washing over her.

"I'm sorry…" She replied, slightly

"I cannot imagine such a horrid thing happening to anyone but myself," Vincent murmured, causing Yuffie to start and stare at him.

"Huh? Are you saying no one else would have survived?" Yuffie stared at Vincent a little oddly, confused at what he was trying to say.

"Probably. I was a monster before the experimentations, so I suppose it wasn't that big of a change…"

Yuffie stayed silent for once, focusing her gaze somewhere far off, not saying a word.

Suddenly, she grabbed Vincent by the wrist of his golden arm and began to drag him away toward a different direction. This startled him, to say the least.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, attempting to pull out of her grip but finding she was much more powerful than he first brought himself to believe.

"Here, I have something to show you wallflower," she responded, quickening her pace once he got used to her pulling him.

Vincent was about to complain, but figured he'd let the ninja do as she pleased. He never won battles against her because she was as stubborn as a mule. No one won battles against her.

For a while there was silence and trees.

Trees.

Trees.

More trees.

And endless amount of trees.

And Vincent found himself wondering _does she even know where she's going?_

But as soon as the thought occurred to him, she stopped, almost causing him to topple her over.

He looked curiously at her, but she did not meet his eyes. It seemed she found that the bush in front of them was much more entertaining.

"Vincent, you're trying to find somewhere away from houses, right?" Yuffie asked, still not looking at him directly, but not letting go of him either.

Vincent waited a few seconds before nodding slowly, still bewildered at her sudden actions.

"I suppose that's understandable. I'm not fond of houses either, although that's for a different reason than yours." Yuffie pushed the bushes aside and walked forward, dragging Vincent along with her.

As she did so, Vincent was able to take in his surroundings.

And it was amazing. The trees had crazy varieties of fruits and flowers, and different types of birds where chirping and multi-colored bugs were flying and Vincent never noticed how pretty the forest was until that moment.

Why hadn't the rest of the forest been this pretty? Or was it a jungle, now that he thought about it…

"Yuffie…"

"This is my secret place for this area. Don't tell anyone okay." Yuffie turned to look at him as she spoke, a serious expression on her face.

"This is where I go when I want to get out of this particular city. I have a bunch of hidden places everywhere, but this one is my absolute favorite," Yuffie explained, enjoying the look on Vincent's face as he peered around. He swore he saw a leopard, but he probably was imagining it.

"This is amazing," Vincent stated flatly, too surprised to say anything more.

"Hey, I need my alone time too."


	6. Break Away

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Break Away**

**.**

There were times when Vincent felt he was no longer part of AVALANCHE.

When he first transformed into Galian Beast was one of them.

When Cid was chosen as leader instead of him was the other.

And when they sent him to evacuate Midgar instead of helping defeat Sephiroth.

But there used to always be someone ready to make him feel welcome.

It used to be Aerith, but she was gone now.

Then Tifa, but she stayed with Cloud.

No one was there to glue his piece back into the puzzle that was AVALANCHE every time he broke off.

But while the world was crumbling all around him, and he could do nothing but watch and wait, and, against all his morals, pray, there was someone there.

Someone who didn't want to be there either; he knew because he remembered her kicking and screaming to stay on the airship.

And she stared up into the sky just as he did.

And she'd broken off the puzzle that was AVALANCHE just like he had too, but she managed to fit herself back by force. By all her willpower she crammed herself into a spot that wasn't her shape, but she was stuck there now, and she couldn't fall out anymore because _haha I forced the piece to fit._

And as Meteor came looming closer and closer and closer, all he could do was stare, but the girl next to him closed her eyes and he could see all around him that people were afraid and crying and holding or at least doing _something_ meaningful.

Vincent didn't do much of anything, but at that moment he felt that if he didn't hold on to AVALANCHE he would loose them forever.

So he thought of all of his companions - All of his _friends _that had gone through so much with him and he felt fear for the first time in a long time.

_I want them to live. _

And he closed his eyes and he felt himself shaking.

Or was that the earth?

He was curious, even while scared, to open his eyes once more. As he did so he saw a bright light come out of the planet and push the giant rock away. There was a sudden change in atmosphere as everyone stared at the phenomena intently, hoping and praying and wishing for that bright light to be a good omen.

_Thank god for AVALANCHE._

A scream broke that atmosphere suddenly as the city of Midgar began to break apart. From the holes that allowed the populace to see into the sky, created by the previous damage Meteor had already inflicted onto the plates, they saw more and more metal being torn up and fly everywhere, and the buildings began to collapse. The metal was _creaking_ from the force and Vincent realized that _it's too late._

But something amazing happened, and he saw another light join the battle. A green ominous light that reminded him of things he'd rather forget and of things he cherished the most.

And he saw, even though he felt insane for seeing it, Aerith and hundreds of other people he probably should have recognized. He saw someone he thought suddenly to be Zack, not by recognition but by the feeling the spirit portrayed.

_Thank god for Aerith._

And Vincent's eyes widened as he saw the scene unfold but after a moment he couldn't see because the light became so unbearably bright that he was forced to close his eyes.

After a moment there was a silence, and the rumbling of Meteor crushing the city was gone. The creaking was still there, but the people felt pretty secure that the plate was not going to come crashing down onto them anytime soon, so they all shuffled about quietly and slowly wondering _what had happened._

Vincent looked to the sky and saw, to his disbelief, that nothing was in the air. He could see the stars and the night sky that slowly turned into dawn and found himself wondering what could have happened.

Vincent heard a squeak of protest next to him as he turned toward the ninja beside him, who seemed to feel displeasure at something.

"What's…" Vincent heard his voice crack as he attempted to respond, so he tried to swallow, noticing his throat had become incredibly dry during the time that had elapsed. He didn't have to finish his sentence however, as he felt a stirring in his hand.

Or rather a tug.

And it was then that he noticed he was holding onto the ninja's hand with his gauntleted arm, and noticed that his grip was actually uncomfortably tight around her small hand.

Immediately after his discovery of this he released his hold on the girl, causing her to rub her hand furiously. Of course it was a bit difficult to tell the damage he had caused by the strength of his grasp because of the gloves the ninja insisted on wearing, but he seemed to have ripped slightly through the fabric with the sharp ends of his claw.

"I apologize," Vincent quickly vocalized, noticing the stare the girl gave him.

"Geez, I appreciate the comfort, but did you have to be so rough?" she complained, giving him a small glare.

"I was not aware I had even done such a thing," Vincent responded, finding his gaze wander skyward once more.

Why had he grabbed her hand? Was it a reflex? No, he did not do such strange things, even before he was a monster. He clawed to the deepest recesses of his mind, but he was not able to find an answer.

"It's almost like you were scared I'd run away or something," the ninja laughed. It was slightly nervous because of the adrenaline that was probably still rushing through her veins because of Meteor and their almost-destruction.

Vincent did not break his gaze from the sky, but he felt a sudden realization hit him.

He had been holding on so he wouldn't loose them.

"I was."


	7. Heaven

****

**Sorry for the sort of longish wait. Hate this chapter, but can't bring myself to change it. I'm going to change the way I write this too. More 1st person than 3rd person. Trying something new.**

**.**

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Heaven**

**.**

Vincent was hungry.

Most thought that would be a silly. He wasn't seen eating, especially around his companions.

But the truth was… he was actually a big eater.

Being stuck in a coffin does that to you, especially when the only food source is the bugs crawling on the wood.

Vincent hated termites the most.

-

Vincent wanted to leave after Meteor. He believed he was only putting his friends in danger by staying there.

But something told him that he wasn't – a warm feeling in his chest that he didn't associate with his heart.

It couldn't be. His heart had been gone even before Hojo got a hold of him.

Besides, if he left, what was he going to do?

At least here he always had a plate of food to return to in the evening.

-

"So Vince, how'd yer job huntin' go?"

"It didn't."

Vincent took a seat next to the pilot at the bar. Tifa's Seventh Heaven…

"Yikes, that bad, huh? I keep tellin' ya, ya gotta git rid o' that dumb ol' cape, man. Won't get a job no other way," Cid sighed, lighting up a cigarette and leaning on his elbows at the bar.

Vincent ignored him and looked towards the blackboard at the side of the wall.

Today's Special: Yuffie's Amazing Wutai Food of Awesome.

Wait. What?

"Cid."

The pilot turned towards the gunman, his eyebrows raising, questioning the other man.

"Where is Tifa?"

Cid looked thoughtful for a moment, turning towards Vincent after he seemed to make up his mind about something, the same questioning look on his face.

"She's out on a date with Cloud, why?" Cid replied, letting out a puff of smoke.

"Who's in charge of the bar while she's away?"

Cid peered at Vincent, a slight humor in his gaze.

"S'Yuffie. You scared o' somethin'?" Cid asked, grinning as the gunman seemed to freeze at his answer.

"Tell me Cid. How is Yuffie's cooking?"

Cid almost burst out laughing, but the smoke in his lungs only let him cough and hack.

"Kuh! You scared fer yer stomach? I wouldn't be complain' none though. Food's food when it's free, righ'?" Cid responded, laughing at the look of disbelief on Vincent's face – or rather, in his eyes.

"I suppose…" Vincent replied, turning away from the pilot and looking uneasily towards the kitchen.

"Yo Brat! You almost done in there? Some o' us are hungry!" Cid exclaimed after a momentary silence, surprising Vincent and causing him to jump.

"Shut up old man! I'm almost done! Doing the finishing touches!" Yuffie's reply.

"Finishing what?"

Cid looked slightly confused, not having done any type of complicated cooking in his life, he didn't think anyone put that much thought in cooking. Or believed it anyways.

"Finishing touches!" Yuffie cried, looking frustrated as she walked out of the kitchen, two plates in her hand.

"Here you two are. Hope you like my fantabulous food!" Yuffie looked confident in herself, her chest puffing up as a proud look crossed her features.

"As long as it's edible," Cid growled out as the plate was put in front of him.

Yuffie look hurt for a moment, but then she recovered and glared daggers.

"You'll be singing a different tune in a little bit," Yuffie stated, the proud look returning as she placed the other plate in front of Vincent.

Vincent stared at the food, unsure if he should trust Yuffie. He'd never had any of her food previously, but the personality of the girl told him she'd never be able to stand still long enough to make anything edible-

"Holy Shit!"

Vincent's thoughts were interrupted by Cid's shout, and Vincent turned towards Cid, eager to find out if the food was either killing him or-

"Yuffie! This is amazin'! Where the hell you learn to cook like this?" Vincent looked at the pilot in disbelief. Was he really _complimenting_ the ninja?! He never did anything like that. Ever.

"See! Told you you'd like it! Isn't it just awesome?" Yuffie put her hands on her hips and looked prouder than she had a few moments ago.

The pilot's answer was to continue eating the food. He was eating it pretty quick, causing Vincent to worry about him choking.

"So Vince, you going to eat it or what?" Yuffie asked, turning towards the other man and smiling, a pleasant look on her face.

It wasn't a devious smile. It was an encouraging one.

He'd never gotten that one before.

Vincent looked at the plate of food. It didn't look bad. It actually looked rather nice. He picked up his fork and stuck some of the food in his mouth. He wasn't eager to, but the look on Yuffie's face…

Suddenly he was greeted with a barrage of flavor.

"Oh my god," was all Vincent was able to say as he covered his mouth and swallowed.

"So, you like it then?" Yuffie almost whispered, inching closer as if his response was going to be small and she had to catch it quickly.

"Yuffie… Marry me."

"What?!"


	8. Innocence

**Gah, I had something planned out for this, but it didn't work out. I hated the intro, but a friend of mine liked it and edited it, so I'm going to post it as a seperate short story. Enjoy.**

**Oh, and I ended up writing the rest of this after all. **

**.**

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Innocence**

**.**

"Come on! Just for today? Please?"

Vincent sighed heavily. Well, he was the one who wanted a job. There was not much else he could do around the 7th Heaven anyways. But it was the principle, he supposed. The whole _this is not befitting of an ex-Turk_ mind-set he had at this very moment, because he was sure that even Shinra had enough sense not to give this job to a Turk.

"My answer is still 'no', Tifa."

Vincent turned away from the begging eyes of the other woman, attempting to block out her pleading – and breasts pressing against his arm which she probably did not notice, or was doing on purpose but _whichever one it is they're working_ – grabbing his newspaper again, and frustratingly noticing all the job offers _were not befitting of an ex-Turk._

"Please! I'll get Yuffie to come too!"

Vincent turned the page violently.

"That is not a reasonable argument."

"I'll get her to cook dinner!"

Vincent turned the next page again, sighing as he noticed that the job list had ended and that there were no desirable professions today _or any other day_.

"Fine Tifa," Vincent turned towards her, annoyed at the constant pestering that reminded him of a_ certain someone._

"Oh, thank you Vincent! Thank you! I'll call Yuffie right away!"

And with that, she was gone.

Vincent turned back to his paper, noticing that there was a job that he would rather have chosen other than this glaring back at him.

Mortician.

-

Vincent watched as Yuffie ran around, playing tag with Marlene and Denzel and always jumping away from them at the last minute before they could touch her.

_She should let them catch her at least once..._

"Yuffie! At least let us catch you once!" cried Denzel, huffing as Yuffie danced away from him once again.

"No way! You want this? Catch it!" Yuffie patted her bottom and ran away, cackling as she did so. Denzel pouted angrily, walking towards Vincent, who was leaning next to a building, and plopping down next to him.

"Vincent, why don't you play with us? I bet you'd be able to catch Yuffie!" Vincent turned away from the boy, who was staring up at him with pleading eyes _the exact same ones Tifa was using._ Well, she must have gotten it somewhere.

He stayed silent, hoping the boy would get bored and continue playing with the other two after a while.

And he did. After Marlene came over angrily to force him back into the game.

_Children._

-

"Vincent Valentine, I will get on my knees and _beg _if I need to!"

"No Yuffie. I will not."

"You know, thousands of men would KILL to have me beg at their feet!"

"I am not one of them."

Yuffie huffed angrily, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the gunman with pure malice.

"I'll... I'll... Oh! I know! I won't cook dinner!"

Vincent turned towards her, eyes flashing as she grinned that large toothy grin of hers.

"Tifa said you'd..."

"I don't HAVE to listen to Tifa. I can leave any time I want!"

Vincent stayed silent, contemplating this thought and prodding it around his mind as the time ticked by, Yuffie's grin glaring back at him as he did so.

"Fine." Vincent exhaled noisily, earning a 'whoop' from Yuffie, accompanied by Marlene and Denzel.

-

"Why do _I_ have to be 'it'?" Vincent asked, his glare decieved by the monotone in his voice.

"Because! You chose the wrong materia!"

Vincent didn't even _want_ to argue with Yuffie anymore on how it would be much easier to guess numbers than materia, but she refused to listen, and in the process educated the kids in materia names and their abilities. _That would be a great learning experience if she wasn't plotting something. Probably teach them to steal the right materia._

"You have to count to 100!" Yuffie snickered, giving him a wink and jumping away. _There she goes._

There was only one way to get out of this predicament, Vincent hated to admit.

"One... Two..."

-

"Target found."

"Aw man! You got me!"

Vincent mentally sighed, the boy in front of him laughing behind the bush he had been hiding behind. The game was simple, find the kids and touch them, which caused them to be 'caught' and out of the game until everyone was found and 'tagged'.

Vincent had touched Denzel, surprising the boy by sneaking up on him and laying a hand on his head. The boy found this hilarious more than dis-heartening however, which caused Vincent to wonder if maybe Yuffie should be left around the kids so much.

"You find Marlene yet?" the boy asked, earning a nod from Vincent. "Oh man, now you gotta find Yuffie! Hope you can catch her, she IS fast y'know."

This thought caused Vincent to re-think his situation. _Yuffie... will not make this easy on me._

And with that in mind, he set off to search for her.

-

_This isn't hide-and-seek anymore. It's find-and-capture._

Vincent had been searching for Yuffie for over thirty minutes, which reminded him once again that she was indeed _a ninja._

He was feeling more like a Turk in his older days as the game, and time, went on. Yuffie wasn't playing a game anymore, she was _challenging_ him. As if _daring_ him to find her.

And that was just not acceptable.

_I will find her. To prove to her that I am indeed capable._

These thoughts were also fueled by the fact Yuffie kept leaving notes wherever he thought he saw her, each consisting of re-occuring themes such as _"you're supposed to be a Turk?", "can't find an itty-bitty princess?" _and his all-time favorite "_getting old?"_

It also didn't help that he'd found fourteen of these notes already, which meant he was either close, or was going nowhere fast.

_I am NOT getting old._

Vincent silently stalked through the trees and bushes, keeping his eyes open and ears tuned to any small sound, a leaf rustling out of place or a breath of air escaping someone's lips.

Suddenly, he found himself running. _He had seen her_. She was jumping. From tree to tree, and he was on the ground, attempting to keep up with her.

_I am NOT old._

And he lost her. The trees shaking in the wind as if laughing at his almost-success, and helping Yuffie escape by creating other sounds to cover her.

-

"Hey Vincent, did you find Yuffie?"

Vincent walked back towards the two children, who had ended up playing a different game while waiting for them to finish. They had chalk and where not afraid to use it.

He stayed silent at the question, sitting down where he had been standing previously, brooding at his loss.

Marlene whispered into Denzel's ear when she thought he wasn't paying attention. "He didn't find her."

Both children busied themselves with their chalk when Vincent turned to give them a look that wasn't a glare, but had the potential to be one.

_I am NOT old._

"Hey Broody, give up?"

And she was there, as if she'd always been there, standing in front of him, _above_ him, and he looked up at her, a sort of angry look on his features.

He didn't reply, which made Yuffie roll her eyes and throw up her arms.

"Fine, I give up! I have been tagged! Woe is the day that Yuffie Kisaragi THE White Rose of Wutai and Expert Hunter of Materia was caught by anyone-!" But Yuffie was interrupted by Vincent suddenly standing up, his pissed off expression only worsening, causing Yuffie to recoil.

"Woah, down Vincent, I didn't mean to rile you up so much," Yuffie ordered, a nervousness in her voice, causing Denzel and Marlene to peer at them curiously.

"I will catch you _myself,_" Vincent stated, brushing past Yuffie as he said this, Yuffie raising her eyebrows in curious confusion.

_I am NOT old. _

She is simply _too young._


	9. Drive

**I was trying my best to think up something thoughtful for this chapter, but I failed in all of my attempts.**

**I guess Vince really isn't a very devoted guy in my personal opinion. Oh well.**

**Also, if I finish the next chapter, there'll be a note for all of y'all.  
**

--

**Forever Fields of Grass**

**And Wastelands**

_by foxygirlchan_

**.**

**Drive**

**.**

He never questioned why he's still standing next to them after so long , and he really starts to wonder after a while.

Why he's able to listen to them and watch them and _stay there_, when he'd rather be somewhere else; somewhere calming and quiet not loud and raucous.

And one day they're walking through a field of green that seems to go on for miles, and Vincent really starts to wonder why, because he remembers he's supposed to hate long distances, he's supposed to hate the bright blue sky with it's sunny companion, he's supposed to hate the open expanse that seems to signal to any predator that they are a huge buffet of mouth-watering hoers d'oeuvres who's bones they could use to pick their teeth, and he's supposed to hate being with a group of people who talk like there's no tomorrow which helps with the predator pin point of their location.

So during the night, as everyone is going to bed and embers are all that is left of a once confident flame, he turns towards their unofficial leader and offers his personal opinion on their current status.

"We should stop talking."

"What's that now?"

Cloud turns toward him and raises a questioning eyebrow, which Vincent ignores in favor of staring him down. Cloud, being the thick-headed Soldier that he once was/claimed to be did not understand.

"We. Should. Stop. Talking."

"What, do you mean right now? Jesus Vincent, I know we don't say the smartest things sometimes, but do you have to be so rude about it?" Vincent can't help but close his eyes and furrow his eyebrows, inhaling in an attempt to stop the onslaught of responses that he could rape their leader's ears with.

This happened a lot, actually.

"No, when we're out on the field."

Cloud finally seemed to understand what he meant and crossed his arms, closing his own eyes and tilting his head up towards the starry night.

"I've thought about it. About not talking when a monster could be lurking around the corner; I am fully aware of when there is danger to my comrades, Vincent." Cloud finally uncrossed his arms, turning towards one of their travel bags to search for a blanket. Vincent couldn't help but wish harm onto Cloud at that very moment.

_Does he believe that I will be satiated with such a non-chalant response?_ Vincent had barely finished forming another question when Cloud threw a blanket at him, a smirk on his face.

"But I also assessed the amount of psychological stress that would pile up on our comrades, and weighing one against the other I decided on the lesser of two evils. Good night Vincent." And with that, Cloud found a comfortable position on the soft earth and Vincent was left with his own company, which did not include the sleeping bodies in his general vicinity.

Vincent couldn't help but feel a little down-trodden by Cloud's quick and thought-out response, contrary to what he believed he would receive if he ever questioned anything their schizophrenic leader tended to do, but he supposed Cloud was their leader for a reason, not just because two beautiful women preferred him as their figurehead over Barret.

However, before Vincent could properly berate himself for not thinking out his question, he heard a snicker come from beside him and he glanced down, his eyes flashing in contempt. Who dared to laugh at him in his moment of failure?

"Did you seriously just ask Cloud to make us stop talking? I don't think he'd be able to even if he _wanted_ us to shut our traps."

_Oh. Right._

"I have noticed a reoccurring theme whenever I attempt to hold a private conversation." Vincent couldn't stop the smirk that crossed his lips as their resident ninja sat up from her makeshift bed with the usual incredulous expression she wore whenever she was in an argument.

"Hey, if you're talking about my interruptions, hold your tongue mister, since half of those 'private conversations' are ones you have with _yourself_." Ouch. Vincent's smirk was wiped from his face while a grin grew on his companion's as their figurative fencing match began.

But as soon as it had started, Vincent seemed to notice the energy drain from both participants, his companion's usual spunk replaced with a much more serious aura and himself suddenly feeling much more tired than he previously thought he had been in response.

"What is it?" he asked, hoping the question would rid the atmosphere of the unusual professionalism.

"It's not my fault you don't want us to talk, is it? I mean, I do say pretty dumb stuff sometimes, but I didn't think I rode you that hard." Vincent brushed off the terrible analogy, but his eyes twinkled at the sudden troubled look on his teammate's face.

"Don't worry. If the problem was with you, I would not have hesitated to confront you directly."

"Gee, thanks."

Her expression changed immediately into one of comical frustration, which Vincent had to fight back the reflexive response of laughter to, which he did so by taking the blanket he was currently sporting and draping his companion in it.

"Hey! What's the deal?" Even though the question was loud enough for him, he knew their conversation was quiet enough to not be heard by anyone other than her and himself. They were both trained in stealth, after all.

"You seemed cold," Vincent smoothly replied, but suddenly decided he should of chosen a better response as her immediate explanation for his concern was the covering of her breasts.

"I noticed your amount of clothes, Yuffie. Clothing amount." She rewarded him with a mischievous grin for his flustered response. Vincent let out a sigh of comical frustration.

"Should I watch out? Y'know, since you seem to be obsessed with the amount of clothing I seem to wear." Vincent couldn't help but bring his hand to his face as Yuffie giggled into the blanket.

"I do not remember any incidences of this obsession," Vincent calmly replied, but a fear seemed to creep up his spine at the look Yuffie was giving him. One that said to him that _actually, they happen a lot_.

"Pfft, don't give me that. You always tell me 'Yuffie, you shouldn't wear such bright clothing' - "

"Only because you're a ninja - "

" 'Yuffie, why don't you wear more clothing, it's cold' - "

"Because we were in the mountains!"

" 'Yuffie, why do you wear any clothing? I want a booty call' - "

"… What?"

"At least you LOOKED like you wanted to say that."

Yuffie's grin seemed to expand as Vincent turned his back on her, laying on the floor and exhaling. Crazy girl. But he couldn't help a smirk from appearing on his face.

"So Vincent?" Yuffie asked, a seductive tone in her voice that Vincent rolled his eyes at, even if she couldn't see it (she was rubbing off on him).

"Yes Yuffie?" He turned around and propped himself up on his arm, giving her an unamused expression.

"Why'd you tell Cloud to make us stop talking?" Yuffie's expression was curious, not playful like it usually was. Vincent attempted to come up with a suitable response at such an inquiry.

"Because I don't want anyone to get eaten by a stray beast that happens to hear us," Vincent was able to lay back down as he said this, his back turned to Yuffie once more. He was suddenly tired, and had fulfilled his conversation quota for the day.

"Awww, you care about us Vince!" Vincent paid Yuffie no mind, but was surprised at something placed over him. He peered down to see what it was, and noticed it was a blanket, turning to give Yuffie a questionable look.

"It's yours," Yuffie motioned to it, but continued to talk, "And you do care about us, don't you? Goodnight!" Yuffie turned around and bundled up in a ball, covering herself with a different blanket, becoming silent.

Vincent stared at her back before he laid his own back on the ground, staring up at the stars. So that's what it was, wasn't it? He cared about them?

Preposterous, he didn't care about anyone at all. He'd never, after all his years of Turk training, cared about anyone. At least, he didn't believe he could anymore. Especially after Lucrecia. He loved her, but he couldn't allow himself to love anyone - couldn't care about anyone - after he let her die… He shouldn't be able to. He didn't deserve to be able to.

But that's what it was, wasn't it? Vincent shook his head. No good would come of this. He wasn't able to protect Lucrecia, so how would he be able to protect his new comrades?

But images suddenly began to run through his head as he thought this, of the time he'd pulled Aeris out of the way of a gryphon, of the time he'd summoned Odin when Barret and Cid were almost flattened by a dragon, when he'd turned into Galian Beast to protect Cloud when he had been put to sleep and Tifa was busy trying to wake him up. When he saved Nanaki from falling off a crumbling cliff. And when he had cured Yuffie of a poison before it became disastrous.

He was able to protect them, wasn't he?

Vincent found himself slightly elated at the thought that they might actually _need_ him like he needed them and couldn't help but smile as he drifted off into sleep, the awareness of how close his friends were to him comforting.


End file.
